Would each individual who both (1) follows the Xeney forum and (2) truly does not give one stray f*ck about what constitutes an online journal please make a short entry here? I'm trying to get a gauge of the numbers. Thanks.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

Answers

Me, my wife, the nation of China. Thats 1.4 billion and two.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

Make that 1.4 billion and three, Tom. I read what Scalzi wrote, shrugged and said, "Okay, whatever." Which is exactly what I did when I read what Jim Valvis wrote. I can't believe the brouhaha.

Some journallers sure get het up awful easy, don't they? :)

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

Sorry, I'm too busy reading online journals to read articles about what online journals are. "I may not know anything about art, but I know what I like."

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

at this point, after asking at the start of the journal thread, it seems to me that it is all in the point of view of whoever makes the comment. journal-schmournal i don't care, so there !

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

I must be an ignorant newbie, but I don't differentiate between online diaries/journals/daily writings. I just read what I like.

For the record, I do call my own (somewhat) daily online writings a "journal."

O, the audacity!

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

So do you really think the entire nation of China follows this forum? Wow. No wonder we beat the Catholics.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

I don't! (care what constitutes an online journal)

xxx, E

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

That essay about not being a journal writer because he writes to entertain was unfortunately to boring for me to finish. Therefore I'm afraid I am not informed enough to give an opinion.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

i don't care too much about what constitutes an online journal. thougn i'll bet it's fun to discuss anyhoo.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

My basic perception of this:
The people who say they have journals get mad at the "I don't have a journal" people.
The people who say they don't have journals get mad at the "everything is a journal, and yours is one, too" people.
Both sides generally pick one or two people to get really mad at.
From there, it degenerates into personal insults and reopening old anger between individuals.
Whew. All this arguing really doesn't look like it is doing much to solve the issue.
As far as looking for a blanket term, I'd suggest "website" or "webpage" or something along those lines. They do all have that, at least, in common.
I'd be happy to see all this creative energy turned into more good short stories or entries (again, pick your own term).
Journal? Not journal? As long as it is well-written enough to hold my interest, then I'm happy. Call them what you will.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

the four blind men and their concept of what the elephant was by what they each encountered and felt seemed to apply at the beginning, now it seems as if it were an attempt to use an ego to crush an ego. i'm outta here !

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

I couldn't care less, truly, and I especially coudn't care less what people whose journals I don't even read have to say about their own journals or other people's journals.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

like the chicken with a wound on its head gets pecked to death by the rest of the coop ? I say let the world criticize in it's own way as it wishes, i just hate to see you people try to cut each other down.

-- Anonymous, February 18, 2000

Just casting my "not one stray f*ck" vote too

Tonight We Sleep In Separate Ditchescall it what you will

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2000

Well. I actually derive a perverse pleasure from seeing people bicker over semantics, whatever the semantics may be. I find the principles that are driving them to draw their lines in the sand a lot more interesting than the lines, and if I bend far enough I can even follow the reasoning for the lines. But, in practice, I just dump them all in the various 'journal' folders in my bookmarks. the ones that claim they are, the ones that claim they aren't, the ones that make a big deal web ring out of NOT BEING A JOURNAL, etc etc. for that matter, there are a lot of zines, comics, weekly columns, regularly updated fiction sites, and other stuff *I* probably don't consider to be journals in those folders. It's just less complicated that way; I also take a perverse pleasure (gotta love those perverse pleasures) in filing "NAJ"s in folders stridently marked journal. "Not a journal, huh? TAKE THAT! Mwahahahahaha..." Yes, I'm weird. Thanks for noticing.

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2000

. . .adventure, story, history, memoir, narrative, narration, monument, relic, trophy, document, protocol, register, account, stele, achievement, catalog, attestation, roster, rota, chronicle, annals, gazette, alamanac, epheremis, sketch, representation, tabulation, dairy, log, journal. . .

. . .a journal, or not, by any other name. . .

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2000

when people who write journals start writing about other people who write journals I tune out.

and when people who pretend that what they write is above a "journal" and they start to write about how they are superior to the rest of the world - then I delete the bookmark and never bother going back.

in other words - put me down in the "does not give a flying f*ck" category please.

- t

-- Anonymous, February 20, 2000

A: The bottom line here is that John (Scalzi) was offered an award he didn't want because he felt his forum was NOT an online journal, and, for that reason, he didn't want a 'journaller' award.

However, some person(s) got their underwear in a bind over his statement, and felt hurt by his rejection of their award, whereby accusing him of being an asshole; an action which has inevitably reverberated across the entire journaling community not unlike a rock tossed into the proverbial pond.

Now after pointing out the obvious I'm inclined to ask, Who cares what he calls his forum? Moreover, what difference does it make whether or not he accepts or declines the award in question? Last time I checked, if someone at an awards ceremony declines an award, its given to runner- up.

Ultimately, it comes down to this: should *anyone* (not just the contributors to this forum) really care what John calls his site? It seems to me he was included into the journalling community by consensus, and that being what it is, should he still care to call his site anything but a journal...well, it shouldnt be anyones business but his. And that especially goes for those who threw the first barbs.

Nuff said.

-- Anonymous, February 21, 2000